The Department of Technology is working to add Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) systems to courthouses so that visitors can use their personal computers to go online.

Officials will initially target public areas — law libraries, jury areas and rooms where attorneys, litigants and other courthouse users gather. Under a pilot program, Wi-Fi has been installed in a courthouse in Buffalo, Binghamton and White Plains, as well as in Bronx Housing Court. Adding Wi-Fi to the Westchester County Courthouse annex also corrected a public safety issue. Previously, cell phones and court officers’ police radios did not work in the building; with Wi-Fi, officers can now communicate among themselves. By the end of the fiscal year, officials hope to make significant progress in bringing Wi-Fi to additional New York City courthouses and at least one district outside the city.

The Wi-Fi system benefits many users, said Chip Mount, Director of Court Research and Technology. “One is the public, including jurors. Two is the courthouse user - attorneys, litigants, court-related agencies - and three is our court employees. Ultimately, Wi-Fi will enable court personnel to access computers and IP phones in areas such as the lobby where network wires do not reach.”